Memories of the Legend
by RedWolke
Summary: Ionia is a mystic place. A land where legends and myths are part of the common history. An amnesiac wakes up in this place, with no clues about his past. Here, he learns to live, to love, to hate, but most important, to understand his place in the world.
1. Conflict

Rain drops.

"_Huh…"_

The sound of the birds.

"_I… I…"_

Blackness. Pitch black.

"_What… What is going on…?"_

Shades of purple. The yelling of soldiers.

"_I… I think I can see it…"_

The clashing of swords. The cheer of the people.

"_Yeah… I know where I am heading to."_

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><p>Ionia. Land of monks and lovers of balance and equilibrium. Land of ninjas and swordsmen. Land of peace… And conflict.<p>

The war against Noxus left a lot of people homeless. So many lost friends and family, and so many others lost everything they could.

Still, there was hope.

Warriors from all over the land fought against the Noxian invaders, and drove them away from Ionia.

Udyr. A man that is one with the animals' spirit and that received help from the Ionian monks to control his fury.

Shen, Akali and Kennen, A trio of ninjas from the Kinkou Order, an organization with no allegiances dedicated to the preservation of the balance.

Karma. A powerful mage with a serene grace, one of the greatest leaders of the Ionian resistance.

Soraka. A celestial healer that calls Ionia home.

Yi. The master of the Wuju style, a renowned fighting technique.

Lee Sin. A monk that set himself in fire to protest against the war.

Irelia. Daughter of Master Lito and the Captain of the Guard. One of the most famous and respected leaders and warriors of Ionia.

But what about the forgotten ones? The ones left to die in their own blood and shame?

Yasuo. A samurai in harmony with the wind. Fled from Ionia after being accused unjustly of killing an elder.

Riven. An ex-noxian commander that exiled herself after seeing the horrors of the war.

Zed. A renegade ninja that killed his master. Lives in the shadows with his followers.

Varus. An Ionian Guardian that lost himself to the Pit of Pallas to accomplish his wishes of vengeance.

Syndra. A reckless dark mage that felt betrayal at a very young age.

Heroes, villains or outcasts. They all had their part at the story of this continent.

Still, none of them knows about this tale at the fullest.

Yes, Ionia is a mystic place where legends and myths often are mistaken with reality.

Just like the tale that we are about to tell. About a man who did not know his place in the world.

A man who felt happiness and sadness, love and hate, but more importantly, darkness and light.

But in the end, it is ok.

Cause Ionia valorizes balance.

And for balance to exist, for every slight piece of light, there has to exist the same of darkness.

This is true balance.

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><p>End of Chapter 1<p> 


	2. Amnesiac

**Well, a bit late, but here we are. I actually felt that this chapter was kind of rushed. Hope it is not too bad for that reason.**

* * *

><p>"Huuurgh..." He grunted, trying to open his eyes. The blur that formed did not appease him. "Red and… white? What's this, a giant strawberry candy?"<p>

"Not quite!" he heard a voice giggle, it sounded female, well, at least he thought it sounded female. He has not heard one in a long time.

"Alright. Then it's a sandwich with raspberry jam." He made another joke, which was received with another giggle.

"Bread is yellow, moron."

"Hey, that's not fair! The inside of it is white, after all!"

He tried to open his eyes one more time. This time, he was able to recognize a person with black hair and shiny yellow eyes looking at him, and at the top of her head there was… ears? The fluffiest animal ears he had seen in his life, well, that is IF he had seen others.

"Instead of telling jokes, you could get up and eat something." She said, helping him get up. "You must be hungry, after all, you're only talking about food."

"Oh, you want a non-food-related one? I know this one. A pirate, a ninja and a soldier walks into a bar…"

"I know it must be great, but you really need to get up." She once again tried to lift his shoulders, this time, however, he was able to sit and lean in the wall behind the bed. "You will end up creating roots to the bed."

He tried once more to open his eyes, the blur slowly subsiding, and was able to get a good look at the woman who had woke him. His first and immediate reaction was:

"Wow." That girl with the golden eyes and black hair was beautiful. She was wearing a red and white clothing that revealed a little bit too much skin. However, he was more interested in the fluffy cat ears at the top of her head or… was it dog-ears? Hell, he could not make the difference.

"Well, now that you're awake, I'll bring you some soup."

While she walked out of the bedroom, he also noticed a fluffy white tail. "_Well, it must be one of those so called 'cosplayers'." _He thought.

The girl quickly came back holding a plate. She sat at the bed and handed it to him. However, before he took the plate, he did exactly what his instincts were telling him to do. Without questions, he grabbed the girl ears and started pulling it slightly.

"Ouch! What are you doing?!" She said, looking at him angrily.

"They… They are real…" He mumbled, still pulling it.

"Of course they are real! Now stop pulling it and eat the food before I throw it in you!" She handed him the plate and started to leave the room. "I'll be in the living room, call me if you need anything."

He stopped, holding the plate and directing the spoon to his mouth, while thinking. "_Alright, calm down. You are just in some random place together with a cat girl… dog… fox, whatever. And she does not like when you pull her ears, so you should stop before she poisons the food and… Wow, this is good!"_

The girl went back to the bedroom to see how her guest was doing and found him eating extremely quickly, as if he has not eaten in days.

"Wow, calm down, the food won't go away." She said, giggling. "You look like you haven't eaten in ages. When was the last time you had a proper meal?"

He stopped once again. "The last time…?" he put his hand at his head, trying to remember, but there was only a blank. "I… I can't remember."

"Really?" she made a surprised expression. "Alright then, let me ask you an easier question. Who are you?"

"Who am I?" he started thinking, but nothing came to his mind. His eyes widened and he put his hand at his face in terror. "I… I don't remember."

"You don't remember?" she sounded even more surprised. "Could it be that you have amnesia?"

"Amnesia…? I… Have amnesia…?"

"Well, it's a possibility. Do you remember anything about your past?"

"My past…" he put his hand at his head. "I do not think I remember anythi—"

After saying this, he started feeling pain in the back of his head. Pressing his hand more against his skin to try to appease the pain, he noticed a scar in his arm.

"Scar… huuuh…"

"Hey, are you okay?" The girl approached him, visibly worried.

"Swords… And… Blood? No… It's darker…" he said in monotone, as if he had not notice the girl asking him. Images of places and things started to appear in his mind. Could it be lost memories? Even if it was quite convenient, it was possible. "A lake…? Forest…"

"What are you talking about?" she asked, but the man stayed in his epiphany, looking at no place in particular. She put her hand at his shoulder and shook it slightly.

"AAAAAAAHG" With a quickly reflex, he jumped away from the girl, dropping from the bed and landing in the floor. "Ouch…"

"… Are you ok?"

"I guess…" he noticed something cold next to him, he took the piece of metal in his hands, observing it. "A… sword?"

The sword was black, with a white stripe at the middle. The blade was symmetric, as well as the hilt, that was white-colored. He thought he would recognize the sword from somewhere, but no cigar. Still, something was strange about it, like there was a secret behind it.

"When I found you, you were holding this sword in your hand. You didn't let it go even when we brought you here."

The boy kept looking at the sword, his eyes dead set on the blade. A little whisper escaped his lips. "Volk…"

"Huh? Volk? Is that your name?"

"… I… I'm not sure." He tilted his head slightly. "Well, it's not like I have a better reason to remember that name."

He started thinking about it. Volk. Could it be his name? That would be the easy way, and even if it was not his true name, he could just pretend. Of course, the name could also be from someone important to him – a relative? A brother or sister? A childhood friend? A long lost lover? Hell, it could even be something smaller, like the name of his rabbit plushie or a pseudonym from a child's game.

He stopped, looking at the girl. He then made an uninterested face. "… Nah. I will go with the easy route and say it is my name. It is better than getting a headache trying to remember those things. Besides, I need a name, even if it is only temporary."

"So I assume you'll recognize yourself as "Volk", from now on, right?"

"Yeah. If it is not my real name, well, I'll look into it when and if it happens."

"Hmm. Then I think this time is better as any." She said, putting her hand in her chin.

"Huh? What do you mean?"

The girl raised her hand to him, with a smile in her face. "I'm Ahri, nice to meet you."

"Heh, so that's it." He chuckled, taking her hand in a handshake. "I'm Volk, nice to meet you too."

* * *

><p>Volk was in front of a mirror, readying himself with the clothes that Ahri said it were his. A dark-brown large coat with dark pants and his white shirt.<p>

It was also the first time he saw himself. Brownish spiky and short hair and dark-blue eyes. He looked average height to himself, even if he did not quite remember what that means.

"_Now that I'm seeing myself, I look kind of scary…" _He thought, looking at his eyebrows that looked like they were always angry, and making his smirks become grins.

"Hey, are you ready?" Ahri said, entering the room. "Let's go!"

"Let's go where?" he asked.

"To the city!" she jumped a little in excitement. "I need to show you the Placidum!"

"Placidum? Where exactly are we?"

Ahri looked at him with a confused look. "You don't know even where we are?" he just nodded in response. "Well, you are in Ionia, land of peace and self-enlightenment!"

"Ionia…?" he put a hand in his chin, obviously thinking. "No. Not a clue."

"REALLYYYYYY?" She jumped at him, putting her face close to his. "Here. Come." She took his hand and quickly went to the door. "You'll love it!"

"Hey, wait!" he freed himself from her grasp. "Let me at least take the sword."

"Will you really take the sword to the city?" she lowered her head, visibly worried.

"Huh, why not? Is there a law against swords or something like that."

"Not a law properly written, but…" she went to the window, looking at the sky and the trees. Volk was surprised, he had not noticed a window there. "Since the war, people have been suspicious about unfamiliar persons with weapons."

"The war…?" a frown appeared on his face. "War in a land of peace?"

"Exactly because Ionia is a land of peace that we were targeted. Noxus is a military state, with extremely advanced technology, especially in weaponry."

"Noxus, huh…" The name was not strange to him. Maybe he was from Noxus…? Still, besides the name, nothing came to his mind. "So people have been suspicious about strangers here, fearing they could be Noxus agents or from another country trying to conquer Ionia, right?"

"Yes…" she lowered her head, now staring at the grass that grew under her window.

"But what about you?" Ahri looked at him, surprise visible in her face. "I mean, you still brought me here and took care of me, even if you didn't knew who I was. For all you know, my amnesia could be a fluke, and I could be a foreign spy. Still, you brought me to your home, cooked me food, and is willing to show me the city. Why, if Ionians are so suspicious of strangers?"

"Because…" She once again turned to the window, looking at the blue sky. "Because someone once trusted me when I had nothing. If it wasn't for that person, I would be always on the run." She turned to Volk, a giant smile in her face. "That's why I decided to believe that everyone has a good side to them, and also the reason why I took care of you." The fox girl paused for a second, lowering her head again. "Even if you happen to be a spy or something like that."

Volk put his hand at his chin, thinking. Shortly after, he simply yawned, to Ahri's surprise.

"Well…" he slowly closed his mouth, starting to speak almost immediately. "I guess it is good enough."

"What… What do you mean?"

"I mean that if you trust me, then there's no problem," he smiled deeply to the girl, a smile that reassured her that he could be trusted. "Right?"

Ahri responded the smile with one of hers and a happy nod. "Right!"

* * *

><p><em>And as she took my hand again to lead me to the city, my new life started. I still had so many questions to make to Ahri. How exactly is Noxus? What about the others states? Where she found me? Who was "we" that brought me to her house? And who was the one who believed her? And of course, how the hell she had cat… Actually, scratch that, a better question would be "Which animal are your ears and tail from". Yes, that is better.<em>

_I also had the questions to myself. Volk. The sword. My past. Those questions, thought, have no easy answers._

_Still, I guess the best way to get these answers is to go with the flow. _

_And, in the end, even if my name is not "mine", I am still me._

…

…

_Sigh._

_I guess._

* * *

><p>End of Chapter 2<p> 


	3. Apples

**Finally a new chapter. Sorry for the late update, I was busy playing Fate/Extra (great game, btw) and researching more of the League of Legends lore, so the fic would be the most loyal to the main lore as possible. Anyway, hope you guys enjoy it! And again, report any english mistakes!**

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><p>At one of the main buildings at the Placidium, in a small room, a blue haired female in red armor sat in a chair in front of a table. She was reviewing numerous papers, sometimes mumbling some words to herself before signing something and putting it aside.<p>

A sudden movement at the door of the room interrupted that slow job, as a dark skinned woman clad in a purple attire entered the room.

"Karma." The blue haired one said, giving the other a glance, before returning to her task. "What brings you here now?"

"Well," the woman said, sitting in another chair at the other side of the desk. "I heard that the higher ups sent a lot of work your way, so I thought about giving you a hand."

"No problem, I'm almost done anyway." She sighed. "But really, what are the Elders thinking…"

"Oh, you're talking about their position with the military?"

The blue-haired girl looked through the window and into the city. That part of the capital was mostly home to the higher-ups, mostly diplomats that lived in the city. Only if you looked far beyond the big buildings that you would see the small and simple homes of the common folk of Ionia. The ones that suffered the most.

"The people are afraid." She started. "Since the war, you can see that most people don't even leave their homes anymore… Merchants have left to more safe places, and citizens are crawling with fear of another war taking their lives. And yet those old men refuse to build an army."

"Irelia, I understand your fears," Karma said, with a calm look in her face. "but you can't expect the Elders, that have followed traditions for thousands of years, to just decide to build an army, even if it is to appease the population."

"Karma!" Irelia started to lose her composure, getting up from her chair. "Noxus almost took control of Ionia! If not for the brave souls that decided to fight in the name of peace, we could all be dead or slaved right now!"

Karma kept calm, even with the sudden outburst from her friend. Irelia calmed her voice a little, but still let her hands form a fist in the desk.

"I wonder…" She lowered her head slightly, starting to speak again. "I wonder what my father or my brother would have done in my place."

"You know you can't take advice from the dea—"

"I know." Irelia cut her off, lifting her face. "It's just… Losing both of them so fast… Just after my father died from illness, the reports from my brother platoon came with him 'missing'."

"A lot of people died in the war. Lots have also gone missing. The war was not kind to anyone."

"Because we didn't have an organized military!" she yelled again. "We can't just pretend that there are no problems out there! Pretend that every country takes the same vision of peace as Ionia! It will be only a matter of time till Ionia is no more!"

"I agree with you, Irelia." Karma still had her calm demeanor, not even frowning at the arguments of the other woman. "I know that we won't be able to defend ourselves just by praying and meditating, but…"

"_But_ what?"

"Don't you think that building an army would also take the tool on the population?"

"What… what do you mean?" Irelia's eyes widened after that statement. "An army would be prejudicial to them?"

"Farmers, merchants, artisans…" she started, looking through the window, just like Irelia did before. "They lost parents, brothers, children, friends because of the war. If we only impose an army right now they would always live with a fear in their eyes for another war…"

"So you are saying for us to wait." Irelia sat down, calming herself. "I see no problem, but I don't want a repetition of what happened two years ago. I waited too long for those Elders to just believe nothing is wrong."

"Don't worry, Irelia. Sooner or later all will be solved."

"I hope so…" she looked through the papers she had received earlier. "We lost many people in the war… Many good people…"

"Wait," Karma exclaimed, observing the documents. "These papers are from the military casualties from the war?"

"Exactly." Irelia took some of the papers in her hand, and started reading aloud. "Sargent Lowi. General Ollyeh. Lieutenant Tarem. Lieutenant…" She stopped before reading the next name, with a look of worry on her face. "Rayvel…"

"Rayvel?" Karma asked. "Is that an important name in particular?"

"Yeah…" she nodded, directing her gaze to her friend. "Rayvel was a good friend from my brother, also a military genius. He had abilities both in tactics as in weaponry. He was in my brother platoon when he also disappeared."

"I see…"

The conversation between the two was interrupted by the door being open abruptly. A sweaty messenger bowed slightly to ask for permission, even if his face betrayed the need for formalities.

"Speak." Irelia just commanded, before the messenger answered.

"T-there are some problems in the east! The Elder from Zorak asks for help!"

"What happened?!" both girls got up from their seats and went to the messenger, visibly worried.

The messenger just looked at them for a second, a fearful look stamped in his face, before saying only one word.

"M-Monsters!"

* * *

><p>Volk and Ahri were walking through the residential area of the capital, Ahri showing him the more important places, and also introducing him to some people she knew.<p>

To Volk the walk was… interesting, to say the least. Since, even though his memories were simply "the common sense", he still could not understand a lot of those. He had problems understanding the difference between most animals, and some colors still did not look "ok" to him – even though he could easily distinguish the red and white of Ahri's clothes.

Right now the two were in the public market. Volk was dumbfounded from seeing so many people, and could not hide his nervousness and slightly hint of panic, to which Ahri simply laughed silently.

"Hey, hey!" A man that looked like he was in his late-thirties waved to Ahri from behind a wooden stall that was covered in a red _thingy_. "Ahri, come over here!"

" Mr. Maito!" she waved back to the man, and turned to Volk, giving a little smile. "He's a friend. Come!"

Ahri took Volk's arm and dragged him to the merchant's stall. As Volk gave a better look at the red that covered it, he noticed that it came from a sphere-like object with some kind of a little stick coming from the top. It was strange, to say the least.

"So, Ahri," the man started talking to the girl with a big smile. "Who's your new friend? Got your claws on another man, you little foxy?"

"Oh, come on," she lowered her head, annoyed. "You make me sound like some fickle girl. And he's not my boyfriend, I just met him, to tell you the truth." She turned to the boy that was still looking curiously to the little red things and gave him a little thud on the arm. "Volk, this is Mr. Maito, the one with the best apples around here. Mr. Maito, this is Volk."

"Volk, huh? You better take care of this girl, or she'll flee from you really quickly." The man chuckled, while Ahri started yelling at him. However, the boy did not really took attention to any of that and just said, visibly confused.

"Apples…?"

Both Maito and Ahri looked at him with surprise, which he answered with an even more curious face, as if expecting an answer.

"First you saying that my ears were cat one's, then the problems we had with green color, and now you say that you don't know what apples are." She sighed. "Really, I wonder how you hit your head so hard."

Maito, after hearing Ahri's sigh, bursted into laughter, which scared the two younger ones. Drying an invisible tear, he picked an apple and handed to the boy.

"Here. The best way to know what an apple is, is to taste it."

Volk took the fruit in his hand and looked at it curiously. The slim and reddish skin, the little stick at the top, and how the color slowly turned to yellow at the bottom, all were new to him.

"One for you too, Ahri, of course. Free of charge!" the old man smiled, handing Ahri another apple.

"Thank you!" The girl did not even wait, before eating the apple with an amazing speed, as if the apple was going to disappear if she did not eat it.

"You really like apples, huh?" Maito asked her, a smile at the corner of his lips.

"Huhum!" she nodded, mouth still full. After swallowing it, she opened her mouth to speak. "It has a taste similar to something that I used to eat a long time ago, and since I can't eat it anymore, apples kind of help me." She then turned to Volk, who was looking at her, apple still whole in his hand. "Come on, the apple won't bite you back, just do it."

He looked at the apple one more time. He closed his eyes in a "_whatever" _way, and finally opened his mouth to bite the fruit. After swallowing, he opened his eyes in a flash, and jumped from his place.

"THIS IS AWESOOOOOOOOME!" He yelled, making a lot of eyes turn to him at that slightly crowded market. "It's like I am in heaven," he made a theatrical pose, as if he was just reciting a poem. "Eating the food of the Goddess, and playing with her little kitty that is poking my leg every time I try to stand up!"

"Well, so you lik—" Maito tried to ask him, but the boy was faster and grabbed his hands, pulling himself closer.

"Sir! This that you have here is a gift from the other world! From this day onward I shall call you The King of the Apple Hill!"

Both Ahri and Maito stared dumbfounded at the boy that ranted endlessly about the greatness of Maito and his apples.

"No! No! I have a better name! What about the Lord Appleton?!"

"Is he always like that…?" the old man whispered to the girl.

"For real? I'm not sure."

"Nooooo…" he started, lowering his voice. "I SHALL CALL YOU EMPEROR APPLETIN!"

"Alright, that was the last one." Ahri said, picking an apple and putting it in Volk's mouth, in a way that he could not speak.

"MHMHHHHM"

"Yes, yes, my dear. Now take care of yourself." she sighed, and turned to Maito. "Mister, where is Wukong?"

"Well…" he lowered his head a bit. "He went out of the city to search for some merchants that should already have arrived."

"Sounds suspicious enough?"

"Kind of." He sighed, putting his hand at his head. "There have been rumors around of bandits, so it's a possibility that they attacked the caravan."

"Alright then." She finally freed Volk from the apple, letting him and the apple fall into the ground. "We're going to help search for him."

"Oh, that would be great, Ahri!" Maito said, with another big smile. "I'm thankful!"

"Ouch…" Volk put a hand at his cheeks in pain, before finally understanding Ahri's words. "Hey! What the hell do you mean with 'we'?!"

* * *

><p>Just a few minutes later, they were walking through the forest near the road to the capital, trying to find the whereabouts of the merchant caravan.<p>

Ahri was leading the way, with an uninterested Volk following her.

"I'll ask you one more time." He started, gesturing his discontentment. "Just WHY are we doing this?"

"Because it's fun. Also, Wukong was the one who brought you to my house, so I want you to meet him."

"Ok. First, we could wait for him at the city, no reason to venture into the forest for that, and second," he took his breath for a second. "FUN? THERE ARE BANDITS OUT THERE! B-A-N-D-I-T-S! THEY GONNA RIP OUR EYES AND SAW OUR LEGS OFF!"

"Really?" she looked at him with a teasing look. "Maybe they would even start toying with us before killing… I heard these bandits are a lot into torturing their victims."

Yes. That was the kicker. The scared face turned into a panic one, as tears almost fell from Volk's eyes.

Ahri laughed loudly. She did not expect that reaction. "Don't worry, Volk, I was just kidding. Besides, you have a sword, you are not a defenseless person."

"Just because I have a sword doesn't mean I know how to use it, damn."

She laughed again, and went to the boy's side. "Don't worry, I'll protect you if you end up in trouble."

A confused look emerged in his face. "And how will you do that…?"

Ahri showed her tongue to him and winked, teasing him again. "Just trust me, alright?"

"… Do I have a choice?"

"Nope~~" she said, giggling.

* * *

><p>Shortly after, Ahri's ears started to twitch. "Do you hear this?"<p>

"… Hear what?"

"Footsteps!" she started running to the direction of the sounds, with Volk trying to keep up with her.

"Hey, wait! Dammit, this fox is more trouble than she's worth."

Turning around a tree, Volk finally found Ahri, and also the source of the footsteps. About 10 men and women with some sacks at their backs.

"Are you the merchants that are going to the capital?" the fox-girl asked them, and received various nods as answer.

"Yes, but we were attacked by bandits on the way here. They let us go, but the carts were stolen." One of the older men said, walking a step forward. "We also lost our map but thanks to some kind of…" he stopped, trying to think of a way to call his savior. "Talking monkey? Yeah, I guess that is right. He pointed us the way and said that he will recover our things."

"Talking monkey? That's Wukong, certain." Ahri said, putting a hand at her chin, thinking.

"Wait, your friend is a monkey? First a fox, now a monkey, what is next? A polar bear? A supersized cat with dreads?"

"Oh, don't be silly!" she then turned back to the merchants. "In which direction he went?"

"To the northwest." He pointed to said direction. "It shouldn't be too long till you find something."

"Alright, thank you." With a bow of gratitude, she turned to Volk. "Let's go!"

"I really won't be able to change your mind, huh?"

"Again, no."

The two followed the way the merchant said for about half an hour. After that, they arrived in a big clearing in the middle of the forest. Four wagons stood there, and what looked like bandits surrounded it, taking food, clothes, or whatever else they wanted from it.

"Well, we found your bandits, what now, foxy?" he asked her, with visible sarcasm in his voice.

"It's better if we wait."

He nodded to the girl and stopped to think about the situation for the first time.

He was in a forest, home to bandits, with a girl that he had just met a few hours ago. No, scratch that. He just woke from a nap of god knows how long a few hours ago, and now he's being pushed into a fight that isn't his for the sake of this… Fox girl. Yes. Fox.

_Ahri…._ His mind went to the girl for a few seconds. He did not know anything about her, but here he was, risking his own unmemorized life because she said so. _What am I? One of those skirt chasers that does everything for the girls?_

Why that girl had enough sense of justice to try to help the merchants? Was it really just to help her friend? That sounded fishy enough.

"_Sigh… Humans are really strange…"_

His eyes widened after noticing his thought. He said that almost as if he… was no human.

"_Really. I need some sleep."_

However, a rather peculiar scene interrupted his train of thought.

One of the bandits that looked like he was taking a nap in a darker side of the clearing was being stalked by… a monkey? No, it was a clothed monkey with a staff?

"_I REALLY need some sleep."_

Without thinking, the monkey hit the bandit with his staff with an enormous force, making the man fall to the ground.

"_Now that was nice. Heh, I guess I already know his nickname!" _he stopped for a second "_What the hell is wrong with me and nicknames?!"_

"Hey, that's him!" Ahri said, pulling Volk slightly to the darker place. "It's Wukong!"

Ahri waved to the monkey, who jumped in surprise.

"Ahri, damn." He said in a whispering tone. "Don't be too loud! They will hear us! And what are you doing here?"

"I came to help you, of course! You shouldn't do this kind of thing alone!"

"Really, you shouldn't worry about me, I'm a practitioner of the Wuju Style!" the monkey then turned to Volk, who was staring at him fiercely. "Hey, you woke up! Are you feeling bett—I-is there something wrong?"

"STEALTH TIGER!" He shouted, putting one hand in his face, letting just his left eye appear, and positioning his other hand between him and Wukong. "I shall call you by that name from now on, Stealth Tiger!"

"Stealth… Tiger…?" the confused faces were replaced by worried ones when shouts came from the middle of the clearing. "Dammit, they heard you!"

In just a few seconds, the trio was surrounded by around 15 men with swords and pistols.

"They must have come to take the carts back!" one of the bandits said, pointing his sword to them. "Kill them!"

"Huh? Kill?" Volk finally came back to reality after hearing those words. He turned to the bandits, visibly scared. "C-can't we talk about this? We can drink tea while we chat…!"

"They are bandits for a reason, strange human. They won't hear you." The monkey picked his staff up again in an offensive stance, ready to fight. "Let's do this!"

With that, Wukong jumped in direction of the thieves, enhancing his staff and hitting two bandits with it, knocking them out.

"Wukong is right, we need to fight." Ahri turned to Volk, winking. "Just stay behind me, they wouldn't be able to even touch my pretty face."

The boy just nodded, and with that, the fox-girl put herself in front of him. Her eyes started to shine slightly, while a blue colored orb appeared in her right hand. From her tail, other eight appeared, making a kind of shield for the boy.

"Nine… tails?" he asked, but did not get an answer, as the girl already threw her orb in direction of two other bandits. The orb went through the chest of them, and they promptly fell to the ground, while the orb came back to the girl.

"See? Not even a scratch!" she said, winking to Volk. It was obvious to him that she was just trying to cheer him up, so he would not be scared. However, this also took away her attention to the battle at hand.

"Huh? Ahri, behind you!" he yelled, seeing a bandit sneak upon the girl, dagger in hand.

"What?"

She tried to turn, but there is no way that she would be able to dodge the attack in time. The dagger, aimed at her chest, would be soon drinking her blood.

Volk had just woken up, and he will see blood.

Someone would die, right before his eyes.

SHE will die, right in front of him. The same girl that helped him, made him food, and laughed at his stupid jokes. She will die at the same day they met.

And there was nothing he could do.

Nothing.

_Nothing, huh? I guess I should help, then._

A voice echoed on his head, but before he could ask himself what that was, he saw himself picking his sword up.

"Argh…!"

The bandit grunted, looking at the cut he had at his chest. In front of him, the brown-haired boy stands, sword in hand and a vicious look in his eyes.

"Damn, you fucker…" the man tried to fix his stance, taking his balance back, but was answered with a punch in the face. He flew a few meters and stopped in a tree.

"Volk…!" Ahri started, but stopped herself after seeing the dark look the boy had in his face. His eyes were emotionless, but his lips curved in a slight smirk, enough to make Volk look scary.

"Alright! I got them!" Wukong yelled, having already defeated the other bandits. "We really should take these guys to the authorities, thought."

The words from Wukong took Volk out of his trance. He immediately put his hand on his head, feeling pain. "What… What happened?"

"You… You saved me." The fox girl said, helping him keep standing. "You were very fast. I don't think I ever saw someone draw a sword so fast like that."

"I… I guess so?" he was still a little confused about what had just happened, he remembered the voice he had heard in his head, but the rest happened so fast he couldn't keep track of.

"Ok, I finished." Wukong had just tied the last bandit with some rope he found on the wagons. "We should go back to Ionia to report about this. The merchants will be happy too."

"Yeah, that's right." Ahri smiled, looking at her friend. "Let's go quickly!"

The two went on ahead the road, but Volk stayed at the same spot, still frozen.

"_What is happening…?" _His thoughts started wandering through his mind freely, taking the form of various little yells at his head. However, none of them could be louder than one specific thought. "_Who the hell am I?!"_

"Volk, come on! Let's go home!" Ahri yelled to him, taking him out of trance.

"Oh, right. I'm coming!" He then followed the two on the road to the capital.

* * *

><p>Noxus. High Command Headquarters.<p>

Jericho Swain. Grand General of Noxus, the greatest position on the Noxian hierarchy. He rose to this spot after defeating Keiran Darkwill, son of former Grand General Boram Darkwill, in a duel. At first glance, one would say Swain is a common old general or tactician of Noxus forces. Using normal yellow and green robes and a cane, one would mistake him as a retired military enforcer.

That mistake should not be made.

If just one glance at Swain's full portrait can give one a certain feeling about the General, just one glance at his eyes will give one another feeling – fear, mixed with an incredible ambition.

Since he joined the military, he had proved himself one of the best tacticians Noxus ever had, achieving higher ranks after every mission, and gaining the loyalty of those who fought under his command. Even Darius, one of Noxus' most famed generals, decided to support Jericho at becoming the Grand General.

However, Swain is not the epitome of honesty or pride. Even though the common noxian does not know, his ties to secret associations are very strong, even stronger than in the past, before he rose to the throne of Noxus.

And if not enough, no one knows a thing about the bird that is always at his shoulder, not leaving even to eat or sleep.

Jericho Swain, Grand General of Noxus, is a mystery.

And this mystery is, right now, walking in the corridor of the high command headquarters, heading to his private office.

He had to pick some papers up there, but after opening the door to the office, he froze.

"Who is there?" he yelled, standing at the door.

"Hey, you should have waited for the 'Knock, knock'!" a deep and sarcastic voice came from the corner of the room. The person was sitting on Swain's couch, however not a lot more could be seen in the darkness of the room.

"Who are you and why are you in my office?"

"Why you noxians are always so hasty… C'mon, sit down, drink some liquor! Oh, I opened one of your bottles, if you don't mind."

"I'll ask you only one more time." His glare became vicious, and even his little bird looked like he could kill the stranger if he did not said the reason why he came.

"So hasty and naïve…" the male voice laughed, sipping at his glass of liquor. "But it's alright, birdman, I'll tell you your answers, but sit down first."

Swain did as told and sat in his normal seat, without taking the eyes off the stranger for even a second.

"I'm here to help you, Jericho Swain. Simple as that."

"Help me? And how exactly do you plan on doing that?"

The man took another sip of his drink, and then showed a grin. "I take it you have connections to the Black Rose, don't you?"

Jericho expression hardened. With his hand already preparing a spell, he asked "And what does that have to do with anything you have to offer?"

"Heh, not even denying it?" the man clapped his hands, using a happy, but mocking tone. "Bravo, Birdman, bravo! I am impressed!" Jericho gave the man an aggressive glare, and he stopped laughing. Another grin crept in his face. "Is your relation with them worth the problems it causes?"

"I suppose I don't need a therapist. If you only came to ask me questions about my life, I'll ask you to leave right now."

"Haha!" the man laughed once again. Swain was starting to lose what he had left of patience with his uninvited guest. "So hasty once again… Say, birdman, what would you say… If I said I could give you the power to rule all of Valoran? Hell, to rule all of Runeterra!"

"I would say that you came too late. That is the objective, both mine and from Black Rose."

"And how well have that went for you? For so many years, and the only thing you got was ruling over Noxus…" he made a booing sound, as to show the insignificance of the achievement. "C'mon, we all knew that you had Noxus in your hand even before you killed Borabora."

"Are you saying I killed General Darkwill?" Even after being accused of treason, Swain kept his posture, not taking his eyes away from the mysterious man.

"Not only him. You and your pitiful Black Rose also killed General Du Coteau, don't you? All so you could rule." The grin on his face subsided. "Don't you think that that was too little progress for such a long time?"

"We had to wait for the right time. With the war with Demacia and then the invasion of Ionia…"

"Both of which failed. You had to agree to some ridiculous peace with Demacia, and even let an insignificant state like Ionia drive Noxus out of their land."

"What is your point?"

"My point, Jerry Jerry, is that without me, you'll never be able to rule Valoran. Hell, I will give you guys a prize if you can conquest a single land piece. I'll take even Jarvan's farm, really." The joke was not received well by Swain, who just glared at the man. "What I am offering you is not much different from what the Black Rose is offering you. The difference, though, is that I can do it, while they can't."

"Still, I assume you have a reason to want to help me."

"Of course! There is always a catch, isn't that right? To tell you the truth, I want you to rule Valoran. If you can rise to be the greatest power in this land, then my objective will already be fulfilled. Simple as that."

"Interesting enough. However, I can't trust you easily."

"Of course not! You're a man with brains!" he stands up from his seat, showing his slim and tall figure. "Let's do this. Follow what I tell you. If in two months Noxus have not expanded, then I will go away and you can continue trusting your two faced lover. Think of it as a free trial version!"

Swain pondered the man's offer. It was tempting. But who he was and what he seeks? "I'll think about it."

"Sure, no problem!" he started heading to the door, still not letting the light illuminate his face. "I'll come back tomorrow, prepare a good drink by them, I love wine."

And just as he appeared, the man vanished, without a trace. Swain could feel his presence going away. He was alone.

"_To rule Runeterra. Now if that man thinks he can do that, he's extremely bold…" _he looked from the corner of his eye at the little bird that kept him company. _"But the bold ones are normally the ones who succeed."_

And then he took a sip of the liquor.

* * *

><p>The trio of Volk, Wukong and Ahri were still on the road to the capital. Having walked just a few minutes, they were not that near the place.<p>

However, before they could make great advance, Ahri stopped in her tracks, sniffing the air.

"What is it, Ahri?" Wukong asked, getting closer to the fox-girl.

"Do you guys smell something… Burned?" the two boys nodded negatively, looking at the girl confusedly. "Here, this way!"

They followed Ahri through the forest, Wukong started to recognize the place, as he said "We are near Zorak, one of the smaller cities of Ionia."

"Could it be that some Zorakian burnt their dinner?" Volk said jokingly.

"I really doubt it, for Ahri to be so apprehensive. If it turns out it's just someone that left their rice at the fire for too long, I'm going to be pissed."

The three kept running through the forest, until a red light lit up behind the trees.

"Is that… Fire?" Volk asked, scared.

"Surely." That was the only thing Ahri said, before continuing running, with the two right behind her.

When they finally left the forest and were able to look to Zorak, their eyes widened.

"The entire city… Is in fire…"

* * *

><p>End of Chapter 3<p> 


	4. Darkness

"Kill all of these monsters but make the safety of survivors the top priority!" Irelia yelled to the group of soldiers from the Guard that accompanied her to Zorak. "Make sure to bring any survivors to the medic camp! The summoners will be here soon to appease the fire! Go! Lives are on stake!"

With a yell, the soldiers ran into the city, attacking all monsters on the way.

"_Now I should go too. I have no time to waste!" _before she could make a run to the city, a hand fell on her shoulder. She turned to see a blue-masked man looking at her, a green-clothed woman and a little purple-clothed yordle at his side. "Shen?! What is the Kinkou doing here?!"

"We heard about what happened here, so we thought about lending a hand." The yordle said, already running to the city.

Irelia looked at the two ninjas that stayed, with a sad look on her face. "Normally I wouldn't accept help from the Kinkou, but the situation is grave. Thank you for the assistance."

Shen closed his eyes; Irelia could have sworn she saw a smile appearing under the blue mask. "Don't worry. The Kinkou will not let the common people die if we can do something about it. If the balance is perfect, people will only die from natural causes."

"Right! We don't have time to waste!" the Guard Captain said, already going into the city.

"Yes. Akali, let's go!"

"Right behind you, Shen."

* * *

><p>"The entire city… Is on fire…" Ahri fell on her knees, looking at that terrible show.<p>

"Dammit, what happened?" Wukong said, going to Ahri's side to help her. "How can a city as big as Zorak have a fire of that magnitude?!"

Volk also could not believe in something as that. It was a spectacle… Interesting, to say the least. Like a wall of flames blocking their entrance on the city, or something like that. However, at the middle of that crimson scenery, he saw shades of purple moving.

"_What the hell is that…?"_ ignoring his instincts, he ran past Ahri and Wukong and after the purple shadow.

"Hey, Volk, where are you going?!" Wukong screamed, seeing the boy going to the city. "Does he want to die?!"

"Volk…" Ahri woke from her trance, getting up and starting to run after the amnesiac. "C'mon, Wuk! We can't let him go alone!"

"Heh? Ok, then! Let's go!"

Volk kept running after the purple being, as he disappeared at every corner of the flaming streets. Every time the boy thought he had it, the thing started to speed up, and he started to lose it. He chased it into a part of the city where the fire was not as strong as the rest.

"_Damn… Why am I even doing this?!" _his mind stopped, even though his legs did not. "_Why this feeling of 'need' is filling me up like this?!"_

The shadow turned somewhere at the middle of the street. Even if he did not know the city, he knew what that was "_A dead end"._ This realization brought a smirk to this face as he ran to the alley.

Reaching there, however, he found the place empty. Not a single being was there.

"_What…?"_ Volk thought, his mouth opening in surprise. "_WHERE DID HE GO?!"_

Before his answer could be provided, he noticed a little folded paper at the ground of the alley. He picked it up and opened it. There were some writing in a seemingly scary way, "_Just like those in horror movies…"_. He started to read it, as his eyes widened.

_If a tree fall when no one is near to hear it, does it makes sound? _

_If a person has no memories of it's past, does it really have one?_

"What…" he started to babble, staring at the piece of paper. "What is that supposed to mean…?"

His confused train of thought was interrupted by a grunt behind him. A human – no, it just looked like one, but the pale skin and the lifeless eyes made it impossible to be a human being. The thing moved his hand, ready to attack Volk with his claw before the amnesiac would have a chance to draw his sword.

However, the monster soon fell to the ground, lifeless.

"Huh?" Blades left the back of the monster body, fluctuating and going back to where they came – a blue haired woman in red armor. "Who… Who are you?"

"I should be asking you that." She approximated Volk, a fierce look in her eyes. "You do not look like a habitant of this city, nor one of my Guards. Also, you are extremely suspicious."

"Wait, you are not implying…"

"That you may be one of the ones who started this whole madness? Maybe. But I still find difficult to think someone could summon so many monsters to a city."

"Monsters…" his eyes widened, but soon closed, as he understood the situation. "So, monsters started the fire… is that what you're trying to tell me?"

"You don't know that? Did you just come to the city without even knowing what was happening? Are you an idiot?"

"Well…" before he could explain to the girl about the thing he had seen, he noticed a shadow crept behind her, ready to attack. "Behind you!"

Volk quickly drew his sword, slashing the monster before the attack connected. The giant spider fell to the ground, with a big cut at the middle of its back.

"Thanks." She said, not changing from her fierce tone.

"I guess we are even now…?" he tried to make a joke, but the girl glared at him, sending a shiver through his spine.

"I'm Irelia," She offered him her hand, "Captain of the Guard of Ionia, localized at the capital."

"I'm Volk." He accepted the gesture, shaking hands with her. "Friend of talking-animals and apple lover."

"You… what..?" Irelia's eyes widened in confusion. She then sighed, putting a hand in her head. "Oh, you must be talking about Wukong…"

"And about a certain fox lady!" he added, laughing a bit.

"Also one of Ahri's friends…?" she sighed once again. "Alright then, I guess you're not suspicious enough…"

"Why that sounded like I was still suspicious…?"

"Volk!" he heard Ahri's voice calling him. Getting out of the alley, he saw the fox girl, together with Wukong, running through the ablaze city. "Where are you?"

"I'm here!" he yelled back, waving his arms to make it easier for the girl to notice. She saw him, opening a smile and running to the boy's direction.

"Really, why did you ran away like that?" she seemed worried about the amnesiac, as she pouted, yelling at the boy. "It's dangerous here!"

"Don't worry, I'm alright." He said, showing a smile.

"For someone that was scared of bandits, you sound very calm entering a city in flames." Ahri sighed. "We don't even know what is happening here."

"Well, I can help with that." Irelia made a step forward, drawing the attention of Ahri and Wukong.

"Irelia! What are you doing here?" Wukong asked, visibly surprised.

"I'm with the Guard. Monsters have been sighted here, and the city has been set in flames because of them. I was asked to come to protect the civilians and kill those monsters."

"For real?" The monkey scratched his head, thinking. "That's… Unusual."

"Unusual is an understatement." She answered, lowering her head. "I don't remember the last time we had problems with monsters."

"Sounds really strange." Volk turned to Ahri, who was silent since the subject changed. "What do you think?"

"Let's help." She said in a monotone.

The boy's eyes widened a little. "Definitely that wasn't the answer I was expecting." He sighed. "I guess that would be the right thing to do, though."

"I would appreciate it." Irelia smiled softly to the fox-girl, then making a serious face to the two boys. "I need to go back to my soldiers. I also need to know exactly when the summoners arrive to extinguish the fire. Even though this side seems a lot better in that regard."

"I'll go with you, Irelia." Wukong said, smiling confidently. "It's better if you don't go alone."

"Thank you very much." She turned to Volk and Ahri. "You two take care of yourselves. The fact that lives are at stake does not give you the right to be reckless."

"Don't worry about that. Me and Volk can take care of it." She winked, turning to Volk. "Leggo!"

He just sighed, scratching his head. "Whatever…"

* * *

><p>The two started to run around the town, looking for survivors, and killing monsters that appeared in front of them.<p>

However, even though Volk was fighting, his mind was still on the mysterious note that was left where the purple _thingy _was. No memories means no past, but does it really? Questions and more questions flood up his brain.

"_It seems like it is the only thing I really do, after all…"_ he made the sarcastic remark to himself, regarding his own endless interrogation.

He was interrupted by his fox companion that pulled his coat a little, taking his attention.

"I heard something there. We better go look at it." She pointed to a smaller house in the corner of the street.

"Right, lead the way." He nodded.

They ran to the building that Ahri pointed as fast as they could. The house was half crumbled, without part of its roof.

"Hey! Is somebody here?!" the man shouted and then went quiet, trying to hear voices in the middle of the flames.

Ahri stayed still, sniffing the air constantly and letting her ears as focused as possible to hear possible help cries. "Volk, there!" she yelled to him, running to the corner of the house with the boy following closely.

There, a woman that looked around her late thirties sat with the back at one piece of rubble. They approached the woman, yelling for her.

"Hey, ma'am!" Volk went to her side. "Are you alright?"

"Ah… Help has arrived… I see…" She mumbled, looking to the ground.

Ahri also approached the woman, knelling on the ground. "Very well, we need to bring you to the medical camps, can you stand?"

The woman, instead of answering immediately, eyed Ahri with fear. "Fox… ears…?" She then jumped away from the girl, raising her voice considerately. "You monster! Get away from me, you soul stealer!"

"… W-what…?" Ahri stopped cold. Her eyes widened as the words left the woman's lips, and she started shivering. "… Y-you can't be serious…"

"Ahri, are you ok?!" Volk knelled at the side of the girl, as she put her hands on her head in despair.

"Don't be near this she-devil!" the woman yelled again. "I-if it wasn't for her… If it wasn't…"

"Please don't say it…" Ahri mumbled under her breath, tears starting to flow from her eyes. "Please, don't…"

"If it wasn't for her, he would still be here!" she yelled with all her might, leaving a stunned Volk looking to the two women.

"What… what are you talking about…?" the boy did not know what to do, as his hands desperately tried to comfort the crying girl at his side by caressing her hair.

However, he was interrupted by a yell from a known voice.

"Volk! Ahri!" Wukong ran to the two, together with some soldiers from the guard. "Guards, take the lady to the medical camp!"

They nodded and helped the woman to get up, however, she kept yelling. "That devil woman… Stay away from her! STAY AWAY!"

The guards took her away to receive treatment, leaving the three alone in that blazing city.

Finally calming down, tears started to overflow from Ahri's eyes.

"Ahri…" Volk whispered, then doing what his instincts were telling him to do.

He hugged her.

Actually, he almost smashed her with his hug.

"Volk…" Wukong said, looking at his friend.

"What…?"

"I think she isn't breathing."

"WHA WHAT?!" he quickly let go of her. "Ahri, I'm sor—"

For his surprise, the girl kept clinging to him, tears still going down her face. "Please… Just a little more." She buried her face a little more in his chest. "I don't care about it, so… please…"

"Ahri…" he did not say anything more, once again embracing the girl.

"I won't ask what happened right now." Wukong said, standing up. "But we really need to get going."

"Very well." He turned to Ahri, trying to help her stand up. "We need to go."

She just answered with an "Hmmph" and gripped his shirt again.

"What am I, a giant plushy? A hug pillow?"

"Beats me." The monkey put his hand on her shoulder and shook it slightly. "Ahri, as much as I know you love to be in the arms of a man you met today, it's dangerous here."

"WAAAAH! WAAAH?" The girl jumped, red in embarrassment. "It's not like that, Wukong! I was just…"

"Yeah, yeah, his chest must be really warm. But you can be all lovey-dovey later."

"Hmpf… Idiot monkey!" she said, visibly angry.

Volk, on the other hand, just watched the scene dumbfounded. "_She was crying in my arms just a few seconds ago and now…"_ he sighed. "Really, this girl is more trouble than she is worth…"

"Alright, let's go! I'm all set!" She raised her hands to stretch herself. "What are you waiting for, Volk?"

He sighed once more, soon standing up besides the two. "Nothing. Let's go."

* * *

><p>The three of them started to go back to the medical camp. By what Wukong had said, the summoners had already arrived, so the fire was slowly being extinguished.<p>

With that, the guard would do more searching later in the day. As of now, everyone was to cease operations so the summoners could work faster.

None of the three spoke about what happened earlier. Every time Volk looked to Wukong, wanting an answer, he would just nod negatively, telling him that for now it is best if he did not know.

They kept walking, getting near the main entrance of the city. However, something strange starts to draw Volk's attention.

"What it is, Volk?" Ahri asked, seeing the visible worry in the boy's face.

"Nothing." He just shrugged it off, still walking.

_Do not lower your guard._

"_Huh?!" _The amnesiac looked at his surroundings, trying to find the source of that voice that crept in his head. However, none was found. "_What… What was that…?"_

"What NOW, Volk?" Wukong made an irritated expression, putting his hands at the back of his head in boredom. "If you just say 'nothing' again, I'm going to punch you, really."

"Well, I…"

He smiled shyly, scratching his head. However, before he could answer the monkey's question, a strange shadow caught his attention. The shadow moved quickly by the buildings, as if in a hurry.

Volk's eyes widened. "_Could… Could it be again…?"_ He started to run after the shadow, with no hesitation.

"Volk, what the hell?!" Wukong yelled to the boy, as he turned to answer and made an "_I'm sorry" _gesture. "AGAIN?!"

"Don't worry!" He yelled back. "Just keep going, I'll catch up with you later!" And he returned to run after the strange shadow. "_You won't escape from me again, whoever you are!"_

* * *

><p>Noxus.<p>

Roof of the High Command Building.

A suspicious man was standing at the highest part of the roof, observing the entire capital. Since most of Noxus buildings were in the underground, he could only see the richest parts of the city.

"Really, this city is so gray. It depresses me." He spoke to no one in particular, letting his voice get lost in the air.

"_..."_

"I knew you would agree. You are too much of a happy-go-luck person to like this place." A grin appeared in his face, as his dark brown eyes took glimpses of the city with an ambitious look. "But still, I guess we should be happy with how the things went so far."

"…"

"What? You don't agree with me?" he laughed, visibly amused. "I thought we were friends! I'm hurt now!"

"…"

"You've become a really grumpy person, did you know that?" He laughed a little more, this time a more evil and twisted laugh. He looked to the sun that was starting to set down. "It is incredible how, even though the sun was high in the sky, this city look so dark. It kind of remembers me of the past."

"…"

"I know." He nodded to himself. "It's nearly time for the first phase."

* * *

><p>Volk kept running after the shadow in the city. Just like before, he could not keep up with the shadow, however, differently from before, this shadow did not look as if it wanted to be followed. It simply wanted to get away from the amnesiac field of vision.<p>

The boy reached an open ground in the city, from where he had ample vision of the surroundings.

"Dammit..." he mumbled. "Where the hell this guy is…?!"

He started to scan the area, searching for any place where the shadow could be hiding, until he found an alleyway. "_Of course."_ He thought, with a grin in his face.

He entered the alley slowly and drew his sword. "Who is there?" he asked loudly.

One second.

Two seconds.

Three seconds have passed.

"_What the…" _the boy suddenly felt a blade cutting the air besides his throat. He jumped to the wall and let his back against it, sword positioned in his front.

One second.

Two seconds.

Three seconds again.

This time two projectiles went to his direction. He ducked them and jumped to his side. As he was recovering his balance, a blade came to his direction, aiming for his throat again. He blocked the blade with his sword, and finally was able to see the owner of those attacks.

A masked man, a little taller than Volk, wearing a black and red clothing. His mask was black with a yellow detail in the forehead. At his hands, two scissor-like katars, and at his back, two giant shurikens.

"Who… Who are you?" Volk asked the masked man, but got no answer. "Not much for talk, huh…?"

"…" Putting more strength at his arm, he forced Volk to release his blade, making the boy jump closer to the exit of the alley.

"_Now that I think about it, wasn't that other guy purple…?"_ he thought, recovering his balance. The man walked slowly to the boy's direction, with a calm but deadly air surrounding him.

"… None escapes their shadow." With that, the man disappeared.

Volk stood still, still feeling the aura of death from the man. "_A shadow technique, huh...?"_

A blade starts to creep from Volk's own shadow. As fast as he disappeared, the man appeared behind Volk.

"Sorry… But only the worthy survive." He spoke, before moving his katar, aiming at the boy's chest. However, before the blade found its target, Volk had disappeared. "What…?!"

"I'm here, Shredder!" he said from behind the man, slashing with his sword, however, the man had already distanced himself. "Dammit…"

"_Such speed…_" he thought. "_Well, it only means I cannot joke around anymore…_ Huh?"

As he was thinking about his next move, Volk had already left the alley, going to the still sunlit playground.

"You can't use your shadow techniques in the light, right, Shredder?"

The plan was sound. Even though he did not have a lot of time until the sunset, for now he could still have an advantage.

The man started to laugh, looking to the amnesiac. "Oh, so you have half a brain." He then jumped to the boy, readying his blade. "But even a brain can't save you from the shadows."

Volk parried the katar with his sword. The masked man then attacked with his other katar, making a slash with both his hands, forcing Volk back.

"_Even without shadows, he is strong. But at least I can dodge, here in the sun…"_ However, a shadow start to cover him up quickly, as well as the rest of the playground. "Huh?"

He looked to the man in front of him, that was as surprised as him, looking to the sky. He also positioned his stare to the sun, and his eyes widened.

"What the hell is happening…?!"

* * *

><p>"HAH!" the man at the High Command roof started to laugh once again, looking to the darkened sun. "A solar eclipse."<p>

"…"

"Oh, come on, it's not like I'm involved in every strange occurrence here!"

"…"

"But yes, you are right." The grin at his face became even bigger, as he started to chant what looked like an old poem. "_At the first dark sun, the hell spawn shall repopulate the earth. Don't try to run, as this is our own rebirth."_

He looked at the dark sky, softening his smile.

"Lovely, don't you think?"

* * *

><p>"An… eclipse…? RIGHT NOW?!" He yelled, visibly angry. "<em>Damn… This means that the shadows…"<em>

Before he could even finish his thought, the man appeared behind him, blade in hand. With a quick reflex, Volk parried, then jumping away, starting to run away.

"_I can't fight him anymore, it is suicide! I need to flee!"_

Shurikens started coming his way, one by one, even though he dodged most of them, one scratched his arm, making a deep cut through his coat and skin.

One second.

Two seconds.

Another three seconds have passed.

Thousands of shurikens were thrown from every little shadow from the city. From the front, behind, and sides, there was no way Volk would be able to dodge that many shurikens at once. In a best-case scenario, he would leave with too many vital injuries, and would be an easy target for the masked man.

"_It's a death or death scenario, huh…?" _the thoughts started going through his mind, as he watched the rain of blades that was coming at him. "_Well, I guess I should at least try."_

_For real, you cannot do anything without me, huh._

"_What…" _again a strange voice in his head. Even so, there was a more important matter at hand. "_If you think I'm so useless, then at least help, damn!"_

_That is what I will do. Hold your sword and leave the rest to me._

He closed his eyes. Getting a firm grip in his sword.

The shurikens were finally getting close.

One second.

Two seconds.

Three seconds.

_As the shurikens started falling in, he kept his eyes closed. Still, a grin was in his face, even before certain death. One by one, he kept dodging the razor blades that only wanted to kill him._

_They had all fallen. All of the blades resting on the cold ground and—_

"_Hurgh…" _His eyes opened again. He lowered his head, looking at the blood that stained his otherwise dark-brown coat.

_I guess even I could not expect to dodge all of them, huh…_

The shuriken was just as high as his stomach. The blood kept flowing, even as he tried to stanch it with his hand and his shirt. The boy slowly backed until he found a wall to lean against, falling down.

His eyes started to feel heavy. He knew the injury could kill him if it was not treated quickly. At the end of his eyesight, he could see the masked man coming to deal the coup de grace.

His eyes finally closed.

One second.

Two seconds.

Three seconds.

"What are you doing here…?" the masked man voice echoed through his ears.

"Go away now or I won't take responsibility for my actions." A female voice spoke in a threatening tone.

The man laughed. "Very well." Was all he said before the deadly aura he emanated went away.

Volk tried to open his eyes slowly, to see the person that had saved him.

"Don't force yourself." The female voice said, approaching him. "You'll survive, but you need to be patient."

He was only able to see green clothing before finally closing his eyes.

"Everything will be fine."

_Everything will be fine._

_Everything will be…_

* * *

><p>End of Chapter 4<p> 


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